


landscaping

by n_kei



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 07:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11732559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n_kei/pseuds/n_kei
Summary: It is summer vacation. Taeyong has every plan to sleep in. The rest of the world disagrees.





	landscaping

**Author's Note:**

> AU | Limitless Era | Unbeta-ed
> 
> Still feeling the characters out. Slow development. Might become multi-chaptered if there's enough interest. Takes place in Toronto, as it is the city I'm most familiar with. Hope you enjoy :)

It is Sunday morning.

 

Normally Taeyong would be asleep, having stayed up the night before for either class work, dance, or social gatherings. But this particular morning, the sound of loud motor rattles through his open window and shakes him awake.

 

He blindly feels for his phone beside his pillow- 8:30 am.  _ Are you kidding me. _

 

He pulls the blanket up over his exposed ear, willing himself to sleep through the incessant noise outside. Meanwhile, said incessant noise continues its merry little way, seemingly never ending- and is that whistling he hears?

 

A frustrated groan rumbles from his chest, but at last he gives up and kicks off the blanket, pulls on a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms and black t-shirt and shuffles down the stairs to glare at whoever that’s mowing the lawn so early on a freaking Sunday morning.

 

What greets him is not what he expects.

 

His mum and sister are squealing and giggling at something beyond the screen doors, out in the backyard where the noise comes from. Neither hears nor acknowledges his existence.

 

Landscaping day.  _ Of course. _

 

He follows their gaze and sees a familiar shock of ashy blond hair.  _ Are you serious… _

 

It is too early for alcohol, but he is seriously considering it. Instead he make a beeline for the fridge and pours a glass of almond milk before perching on the counter stool and scowling at the scene in front of him. 

 

_ Of course it would be Jung Jaehyun. _

 

“He came over at 8 on the dot, your mother managed to delay the lawnmower for half an hour, but it took some baby pictures in the living room.” His father muses, approaching behind him.

 

Taeyong groans and covers his face in horror.

 

His father may be slightly shorter, but the firm presence speaks of a quiet, controlling power befitting of the doctor. He joins Taeyong after pouring himself a second cup of coffee, a twinkle in his eyes. Taeyong raises an eyebrow. “You should thank her.”

 

Taeyong turns back to the scene in front of him.

 

The cargo pants on Jaehyun look two sizes too big, the only thing that keeps it up is the tool belt, and even that looks like it will slip off from the weight it carries. As for that ratty old t-shirt- he can almost bet that in another five minutes- oh. There it goes. Off to wipe the torrent of sweat on that pale fluorescent body.

 

It’s actually kind of gross.

 

“Why did you tell him to show up at 8 then?”

 

“There is the saying that the early bird gets the worm,” His father quips lightly, no thorns in his words. “But not today. Your mother saw Mrs. Jung at the groceries one time, and after a short conversation, he was voluntold to help your mum with some yard work. Plus, it’s been a while since he's been over. So she decided to ‘hire’ him for the morning and extended the invitation for lunch.”

 

Taeyong scoffs. “It has been at least a decade since the play dates. We’re not even that close now.”

 

His dad sips at the coffee, and hums. “It's hard to maintain friendship when you have different groups of friends growing up, isn't it?”

 

It’s not a question, and Taeyong doesn’t have an answer anyway.

 

So maybe his mum misses Jaehyun, but this level of excitement is… something else. And isn't his sister getting married too? Christ.

 

His mum finally sees them in the kitchen and smiles widely as she comes over to press a kiss on his forehead.

 

“Morning, baby. It’s rare for you to be up this early! Did you sleep well?”

 

“It was okay.” Taeyong replies, hiding his mouth behind the rim.

 

Sooyeon, his sister, all but bounces over. “His body is  _ something else _ . Those abs look  _ positively _ edib-” Their father clears his throat. “Incr _ edible _ . Lots of working out, that one!” Her attention switches to Taeyong, and he starts to regret getting out of his bed. “What's with the constipated look on your face, dear brother?”

 

She ruffles his hair, a mischievous grin on her face. Taeyong scowl deepens and swats her hand away. It comes back a moment later, twirling the longer parts at the top. Taeyong sighs and gives up.

 

Their mother chuckles. “We’re going to get some groceries, especially since Jaehyun is staying for lunch. Do you guys need anything?”

 

“Nope!” Sooyeon chirps, removing her hand. It's not as fun when Taeyong stops retaliating.

 

“Same.” He calls after while attempting to fix his hair.

 

“Alright. Taeyong, offer Jaehyun some snacks and drinks when you're done here, okay?” She gestures vaguely to the pantry while she slips her sandals on.

 

Taeyong hums in reply, but obediently gets up and starts piling the snacks on a tray and pulls out a 1.5L carton of lemonade as their parents head out. “See you guys in a bit!” His mother calls behind her.

 

When the door closes, Sooyeon turns back to look outside, sighing dreamily. “It's not often we see such a fine specimen-”

 

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “That’s borderline verbal harassment-”

 

She immediately rectifies herself, “It’s not just about looks, obviously. He's grown so much! I bet he's also smart and funny and witty and cute and charming-”

 

As she titters off, Taeyong quickly downs the rest of his almond milk and washes the glass, as well as the rest of the dishes in the sink.

 

Sooyeon is no longer muttering to herself when he finishes, but her phone is out and pointing at Jaehyun, no doubt snapping a picture to send to godknowswho-

 

“This is hardly appropriate behaviour, you know.” Taeyong doesn't try very hard to suppress the disgust in his voice. She finishes typing on the phone and looks at him for a moment. Then she smirks and waggles a finger under his nose.

 

“Stop acting like the jealous boyfriend, you’re not even close friends anymore.” She teases.

 

“And you're still creepy as fuck.” Taeyong cuts in.

 

She opens and closes her mouth. “Touché.”

 

She harrumphs and Taeyong watches warily as she types a few more messages on her phone. When she finishes, she turns back to him and smirks again. “Alright. I'll make myself scarce. Take good care of our gardener, Taeyong-ah.” Mussing up his hair one last time, she runs off, cackling like mad.

 

_ Good grief. _ What her fiancée sees in her is completely lost on Taeyong.

 

He slowly collects the tray of snacks, considers a glass, before taking the entire carton of juice and goes out, dragging his feet along.

 

Jaehyun doesn’t hear him, he is bent over, removing weeds and moss from the interlock. The pout tugging at his bottom lip emphasizes his slight underbite, an expression Taeyong grew familiar to since elementary school.

 

Taeyong doesn’t call out. Instead, he stands awkwardly in the shadows and watches.

 

Eventually Jaehyun sees him and waves, a wide grin on his face. “Hey!”

 

Taeyong pauses for a second longer before stepping into the bright sunlight and meets Jaehyun halfway.

 

“Hey yourself.”

 

Jaehyun glances at the pile of food, and back up at Taeyong, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips. “Is this for me?”

 

Taeyong nods and smirks. “I didn't realize sharing was a part of your vocabulary where food was concerned.”

 

Jaehyun’s face scrunches up in a sheepish smile, a dirt-covered, gloved hand scratching the back of his neck- Taeyong almost laughs, almost. But also, ew. “That's uncalled for, I did share! I think. Glad to see you remembered something about me.”

 

Taeyong raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment. An awkward silence settles on them, until Jaehyun starts fidgeting with the gloves in his hands. “So…”

 

Taeyong shakes his head. “Do you want me to leave the food here?”

 

Jaehyun stands a little straighter. “I'm just about done. I can come inside for the snacks, if that's okay.”

 

Taeyong eyes at the dirt-covered shoes, pants and bare torso…. and back at Jaehyun’s smile. “I might make you take a shower before you come in.” He mutters, suddenly feeling too hot. “I'm bringing this in for now, then. Come in when you're done.”

 

He turns before he could see Jaehyun blush, and hurries back into the house.

 

Jaehyun stares at Taeyong’s back for a moment, while scratching his belly, then shakes it off and goes back on all fours to finish up the remaining area.

 

A while later, Taeyong hears the sliding door being pushed open and one sweaty Jaehyun emerges.

 

“Hold on!” Jaehyun stills, eyes widening. “Take those pants off. They're not coming in the house like that.”

 

Slowly, a playful smirk tugs at the corner of Jaehyun’s mouth. “Why, I didn't know you wanted me out of my clothes already. Aren't we moving too quickly, Taeyong-ssi?”

 

He winks at Taeyong, who freezes at the obvious tease, but averts his gaze all the same.

 

“Don't flatter yourself.” Taeyong sneers, but keeps his gaze firmly at the suddenly very interesting wall. “I just don't want my floor to be covered in dirt, I don't want to clean up after you too.”

 

He hears some low mumbles and shuffling and points to the table. “I left a towel there, bathroom is up the stairs, the first door to your right.”

 

The shuffling stops, and the door slides shut. Jaehyun’s voice sounds mildly amused. “I could’ve sworn we've seen more of each other than this. When did you get so shy?”

 

Taeyong huffs and wills himself to sound more confident than he feels before turning around to meet Jaehyun’s amused eyes. “Just clean up. Snacks are on the counter and the juice is inside the fridge. You're welcome to help yourself to anything in there and the pantry. But I think mum is making us lunch, so don't stuff yourself.”

 

The small smile on Jaehyun’s face would look harmless, innocent, even, but he was walking towards Taeyong and something in his eyes spells… want. Taeyong doesn’t know if he's ready for this conversation. The familiarity. The kind-of-abandoned friendship. Jaehyun opens his mouth to say something, but Taeyong’s nose scrunches up. “You smell.”

 

The blush blooms quickly to the tip of Jaehyun ears, down his neck and chest. He sighs, mutters  _ Asshole _ under his breath and grabs for the towel before rushing to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

 

Taeyong ignores the feeling in his chest, and goes to his room to continue a game on his phone.  _ I'm too old to play babysitter.  _ And too distracted too, it seems, because he loses his game.

 

And several after that.

 

By the time he switches to Pokemon Go (to get the daily bonuses), he realizes the shower sounds have stopped, and the house is oddly quiet, save for the game’s bgm.

 

“Um.”

 

He looks up and sees Jaehyun watching him from the door. Correction: Jaehyun- hesitation and discomfort spells from the evident lines of his body because he’s wearing nothing but boxers- stands by the door and watches him. Their eyes meet and Jaehyun looks away first.

 

_ Huh. _

 

“It’s weird, that I'm back here, after all this time.” Jaehyun says, scratching the back of his head, inadvertently showing off his body, happy trail and all.

 

Taeyong clears his throat and looks away, “It has been a while, I guess.”

 

“Yeah,” He agrees, while leaning against the door frame. “I mean, if you hadn’t been a jerk about me beating you at basketball. And swimming. And taekwondo-”

 

Taeyong scowls and crosses his arms. “They’re  _ sports _ . It’s not wrong to be competitive.”

 

Jaehyun chuckles, a low baritone sound that makes Taeyong’s heart beat a little faster. “So much so that it gets in the way of friendship? That’s a bit much, no?” He crosses his arms, pectoral muscles pushing up and out and really they’re talking about  _ too much  _ now?

 

“Amongst other things.” Like balancing school and dance and sustaining a social life. All perfectly valid reasons.  _ Anything to avoid Jaehyun sounded good.  _ “And seriously, put on a shirt. I really don’t need to see my sister and mum ogling you anymore than they have.”

 

Jaehyun wrinkles his nose in response. “Seriously, you've seen way more in the past. Or have you forgotten?  _ Also _ , my t-shirt is in the pile of clothes you _ banned from your house _ . So you tell me what to do, genius.” He scowls.

 

Taeyong bites his lip before striding over to tug Jaehyun into his room and closes the door, hoping this isn’t one of his worse ideas yet. It’s almost worth seeing Jaehyun’s face changing into one of shock in a second. But when Jaehyun meets his gaze, his heart stammers for a moment.

 

“Don’t get any funny ideas, I’m just trying to give you some privacy.”

 

Jaehyun snorts, biting his lip from retorting, because privacy is last thing he cares about. But stepping back in Taeyong’s room brings back a lot of memories. They used to play on the old trampoline in the backyard, used to bike in the school park, used to scream at each other over Super Smash Bros and Wii Fit.

 

_ Also _ , his ideas aren’t funny, they’re pretty sexy. Shifting from foot to foot, he watches as Taeyong riffles through his immaculate dresser and soon a pile of clothes amass on the bed.

 

“They're the baggiest clothes I have.” Taeyong explains, putting down the last t-shirt.

 

Jaehyun looks dubiously at the pile. “You know I only have one body, right?”

 

“And I don't know your size. Just try something on.” Taeyong grumbles. He makes a move to walk out the room.

 

“Just stay. I'll be quick.” Jaehyun says. Taeyong hesitates, before sitting back down at his desk if only to prove he’s not as uncomfortable as he lets on. This is boys locker room business, isn’t it? Everything is normal.

 

-is what hee tries to tell himself that as Jaehyun shuffles through the pile, finding a pair of sweatpants. He then bends over, giving Taeyong an eyeful of _firm glutes_ _and_ _thick thighs_ before pulling the sweatpants on. Not even a warning.

 

Taeyong swivels to the opposite direction so fast he almost got whiplash. Thankfully, Jaehyun doesn’t seem to notice.

 

“You know,” Jaehyun’s quiet voice sounds pensive. He finds a shirt in the pile, checks the size, shrugs, and pulls it on. “This is the longest time we've spent with each other in a while.”

 

Taeyong pauses. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“This is weird.” Came the muffled reply.

 

Taeyong sighs and looks away. “Don’t think too hard about it, you might fry something.”

 

“Last time I checked, I had better marks than you.” Jaehyun retorts.

 

“Pft.” Taeyong snorts. “And you said I had a problem with competition. You compare everything we do too.”

 

Taeyong looks over and catches Jaehyun’s gaze in the mirror. He’s blushing slightly, a small frown creasing his forehead. “It’s not- It wasn’t intentional.”

 

Taeyong waves it off. “I know. It’s just, we’re more similar than we are different.”

 

Jaehyun ducks his head and mutters, “Sorry.”

 

Taeyong hums. “The marks weren’t useful in the end, seeing as how I’m majoring in Media studies now.” He props his feet up on the table, and plays with the drawstrings on his pyjama bottoms.

 

Jaehyun nods at the bed. “May I?” When Taeyong nods, Jaehyun makes himself comfortable, folding up the blanket to be propped against the wall so he could sit more comfortably. When he notices Taeyong’s intense stare again, he chuckles nervously. “You’re still the same with the tidiness, right? I swear I scrubbed everywhere I could reach.”

 

To that, Taeyong nods and tries to hide the surprise that Jaehyun remembers that about him, too.

 

Another moment of silence lapses over.

 

“So, how are you?-”

“Are you mad at me for something?-”

 

They ask at the same time.

 

Jaehyun scrunches up his face first. “I’m okay.” He replies. “Doing my second year of the Architecture Program. It’s pretty tough, the projects are hell, but I’m learning a lot.” He shrugs. He looks at Taeyong for a bit, then looks away. “I move around quite a bit for co-op, but I’m in school this semester, so I came back to visit my parents over the weekend.”

 

Taeyong hums and pauses, choosing his words carefully. “I’m not mad. I just- don’t really know what to say. It’s been a while, that’s all.”

 

Jaehyun nods in agreement. “Yeah. It has.” A small smile appears. “So, what have you been up to? Any uhm-” Jaehyun sneaks a meaningful glance at Taeyong. “-new developments?”

 

“Well.” Taeyong doesn't see his look. “After this summer, it’ll be my last year in the Media program at Sheridan. I’m… currently working on a side project with a couple school friends, shooting a music video downtown next week. But besides that, I get to enjoy the summer break.” Taeyong rubs the back of his neck self-consciously, not used to talking about himself.

 

Jaehyun’s mouth quirks up. “That sounds cool.” Then his eyes widen as he remembers something. “Oh! Your mum reminded me how much you loved to dance when we were young. Still keeping it up?”

 

At the mention of his biggest passion, a genuine smile breaks through Taeyong’s face. “Yeah, I’ve been instructing at a studio for the summer, five days a week.”

 

Jaehyun observes at Taeyong for a moment, then mirrors his smile. “Guess you must be really good then, huh? What do you teach?”

 

“Advance hip hop, intermediate contemporary, advance house. I used to cover another friend for K-Pop, but he’s back now. So those are the only three.” Taeyong replies.

 

The excitement was clear in Jaehyun’s eyes, Taeyong stills for a moment, lost in the genuine smile. “Damn… I knew you’d turn out successful and stuff, but I didn’t know you’d become this cool.”

 

Taeyong raises an eyebrow. “I suppose? I mean, I’m not raking the money in, I’m just a part time at the studio.”

 

Jaehyun shakes his head, blond hair flying in every direction. “Yeah, but that’s cool. Do you also choreograph your own dances? You should post videos on Youtube. That’s how people get big, right?”

 

“I mean- I guess, but-”

 

“I can help.” Jaehyun volunteers quickly. “I’ll film you dance, and stuff.”

 

“Well,” Taeyong considers for a moment before replying. “I already have class videos posted on Instagram, and I’m not exactly planning to make a career out of this… But I have thought about that myself, too. Some side cash wouldn’t hurt.”

 

Jaehyun grins widely at this. “Cool. That settles it-”

 

“Taeyong-ah!” His mother calls from downstairs. “Can you help me with the groceries please?”

 

And the moment is over. Jaehyun smiles shyly at Taeyong. “Let’s go?” 

 

Taeyong nods and stands up, then offers a hand to Jaehyun, who wordlessly takes it and pulls him up, Jaehyun’s hand envelops Taeyong’s smaller, bony one.

 

“Let’s go.”


End file.
